roma rights
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT GAPS IN THE
WHO ARE THE ROMA?
The Roma are the largest and fastest
growing minority in Europe.
There are approx. 10-12 Million Roma
across Europe.
Estimates of the number of Roma killed
in the Holocaust range from 220,000 to
500,000.
Members of the minority are today sub-
jected to marginalization and racism to
an extent that corresponds to the situa-
tion of African-Americans in the United
States up until the mid-1950s.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ROMARIGHTS.NET
HEALTH STATUS OF ROMA AND NON-ROMA
POPULATIONS IN EUROPE
Because of substandard living
conditions, Roma communi-
ties are particularly suscepti-
ble to communicable dis-
eases, including hepatitis and
tuberculosis. There are in-
creasing indications that
Roma have a higher inci-
dence of health problems
associated with unhealthy life
styles, including drug and
alcohol addiction and HIV/
AIDS.
Reports of epidemics of hepa-
titis, tuberculosis and parasitic
diseases were common, dur-
ing and after the socialist pe-
riod.
Poor living conditions, such
as overcrowding and lack of
adequate sanitation facilities
make Roma communities
more susceptible to infectious
diseases than other groups.
Data on the health status of
Roma are scarce and frag-
mented. Some governments
fear that they may be embar-
rassed if statistics reveals
ugly corners in their societies.
Czechoslovakia carried out a
policy of sterilization of Roma
women, starting in 1973 and
until as recently as 1989.